the becoming (still) by nine inch nails

This is a visceral, yet intimate song, and a powerful acoustic performance by Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor has chronicled his fight against heroin addiction in many songs throughout his career, and this is probably the best, an early example from their first album, re-recorded in a much more revealing and raw way. I’ll put the lyrics here, and for those of you with good internet connections, I’m putting the actual video over the jump. I’m putting it outside the main page so it won’t obstruct the page loading for those with dialup.

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Lyrics:

I beat my machine, it’s a part of me, it’s inside of me
I’m stuck in this dream, it’s changing me, I am becoming.

The me that you know had some second thoughts.
He’s covered with scabs and he is broken and sore.
The me that you know, he doesn’t come around much:
That part of me isn’t here anymore.

All pain disappears, it’s the nature of my circuitry.
Drowns out all I hear, there’s no escape from this, my new consciousness.

That me that you know, he used to have feelings
But the blood has stopped pumping and he’s left to decay.
The me that you know is now made up of wires
And even when I’m right with you I’m so far away.

I can try to get away but I’ve strapped myself in.
I can try to scratch away the sound in my ears.
I can see it killing away all my bad parts.
I don’t want to listen but its all too clear.

Hiding backwards inside of me I feel so unafraid.
Annie, hold a little tighter I might just slip away.

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